Photo Of The Day: Remote Homes In Greenland

by Jonathan Kramer on

Greenland is the 12th largest country in the world, yet its entire population would just barely be able to fill Michigan Stadium to half of its capacity. Virtually all pictures taken on the enormous island encapsulate this sparsely populated, remote nature, such as this one taken by Mads & Trine on Flickr. Greenland is a place with towns so small they have almost no signs, as residents already know where everything is. This photo was taken in Sisimiut, a town with a quaint population of just over 5,000 where the local school turns into a hostel for the summer. Located just north of the Arctic Circle, it’s an ideal place to catch the Northern Lights.

If you too have a great travel photo, submit it to our Gadling Flickr Pool and it may be chosen as our Photo of the Day.

The Kimchi-ite: Thousands Of Lanterns At Busan’s Greatest Temple

by Jonathan Kramer on

Down in Busan, South Korea’s seaside second city, one of the greatest temples on the peninsula quietly sits. Samgwang Temple is large, imposing and beautiful on any typical day, but becomes a new spectacle altogether for Buddha’s Birthday; for the holiday, it suddenly blossoms with the soft glow of 10,000 lanterns.

It’s absolutely a sight worth seeing, and taking your time to get lost amongst the lanterns in such bright and colorful lights, can be pleasantly disorienting. Each individual lantern is sponsored and paid for by a follower of the temple, an obvious, visible sign of its influence.

There are quite a few lantern festivals throughout Korea and Asia, but this is certainly the largest density of lanterns that I have ever seen.

To get to Samgwang Temple, go to Seomyeon Station on Busan Subway Line 1, where buses 63, 54 and 133 will take you to “Samgwansa Entrance;” unfortunately this is a misnomer and not the actual entrance to the temple. From the bus stop, cross the street and walk up the narrow road before you. From there, make your first left and then your first right. Finally, follow the road and the enormous temple will be at the top of the hill.

For more on Korean culture, food and festivals, you can always check out “The Kimchi-ite” archives by clicking here.

Photo of the Day: Overcast Saigon

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Anyone that’s ever visited Southeast Asia knows about the region’s frequent rainstorms. Particularly during monsoon season, the heavens often open up without warning on travelers, forcing you to run for cover to avoid getting soaked. Today’s photo, brought to us by Flickr user _jeryc garcia_, is an all-too-familiar visual reminder of these Southeast Asian monsoons. Taken in Saigon, it looks as if our photographer is taking refuge from one of these typical if unexpected showers. The dark, monochrome sky is punctuated by colorful turquoise and green buildings and a luminous sliver sun off on the horizon. The grid-like pattern of the windows lends an additional visual intrigue.

Taken any great photos during your recent travels? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of them as our Photo of the Day.

Photo of the Day – Korean festival lanterns

by Jeremy Kressmann on

I love taking photographs at festivals. The riotous colors, local costumes and friendly demeanor of locals usually means you’ll have a chance to capture some truly great shots. Take today’s photo for instance, captured by Flickr user Trent Strohm at a Buddha’s Birthday celebration in Seoul, Korea. The rainbow colors of the lanterns create a visually arresting pattern, punctuated by the curvy black outline of a tree, rising from below.

Taken any great travel shots of your own recently? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of them as our Photo of the Day.

Buy stamps – Souvenir tip

by Gadling Staff on

If you’re traveling abroad on a tight budget with absolutely no extra room in your suitcase for a souvenir, then buy a stamp. Even the lowest denomination stamp of any country is colorful, cheap, and easy to find.

When you get home, mount the stamp in the middle of a piece of poster board, write the details of your trip on the back of the poster board, and put in an inexpensive frame. You’ll have a decorator look on a backpacker’s budget.